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While cream is usually best fresh, there may be times when you need to freeze it for longer keeping. It's possible to freeze it well and to reconstitute it in a usable way.

Ingredients

All cream frozen must contain at least 40 percent or more butter fat. It won't freeze well below this amount.

Just cream:

Leftover cream or cream about to expire (heavy whipping or double cream only)

Sweetened cream:

125ml/1/4 pint of cream (heavy whipping or double cream only)

1 teaspoon sugar

Whipped cream dollops:

Whipped cream (heavy whipping or double cream only)

Steps

Method1

Just cream

1

Pour the cream into a rigid sided container. Cover with a strong plastic bag that seals (in fact, two bags is recommended), to prevent fridge odours from entering.

Leave at least 1.5cm/1/2 inch space between the lid and the top of the cream. This allows for expansion when it freezes.

2

Place in the freezer.

Method2

Sweetened cream

This method is useful for baking and desserts; the added sugar also helps preserve the cream slightly better than without it.

1

Pour the cream into a suitable bowl.

2

Whip the cream lightly. Only whip until it's just stiff.

3

Mix through 1 level teaspoon of sugar to the cream. For each 125ml/ 1/4 pint of cream, add another 1 level teaspoon.

4

Pour the cream into a rigid sided container. Cover with a strong plastic bag that seals (in fact, two bags is recommended), to prevent fridge odours from entering.

Leave at least 1.5cm/1/2 inch space between the lid and the top of the cream. This allows for expansion when it freezes.

5

Place in the freezer.

Method3

Whipped cream dollops

These can be useful for adding direct to a cupcake or as a small cake filling. The sweet cream recipe above can also be prepared this way if preferred.

1

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone sheet.

2

Whip the cream.

3

Place dollops of the cream onto the prepared baking sheet. Cover with a thick freezer bag that seals.[1]

4

Freeze. When frozen, remove and slide into a storage container or bag.[2] To avoid being bumped, a rigid sided container is again best.

5

Seal and return to the freezer.

Method4

Thawing

1

Just cream: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.[3] Or, if the food is bubbling away already, add straight to a cooking dish (such as a soup or stew), as if adding fresh cream and let the heat melt it through. Be aware that the cream will be runny and won't whip after freezing.

2

Sweet cream: For using as a cake or dessert filling or topping, thaw in the refrigerator overnight first. As with the previous cream, this frozen cream can't be whipped again; unlike that one though, it should keep its already whipped texture suitable for baking or adding to desserts. Plus, you could try combining it with freshly whipped cream to make a filling go further.

3

Fixing separated cream: Jiggle the cream inside its container (lid on) if you find too much separation has occurred. This can help to reconstitute the cream by mixing the fat solids and water solids back together again.

It can also be shaken inside the sealable bag if that's easier.

4

Whipped cream dollops: Allow to defrost on the kitchen counter (it'll take about 10 minutes).[4] Use exactly as you'd use whipped cream. The dollops should act like whipped cream already divided into small, usable portions.

15 minutes. The freezing process increases the amount of bacteria in the cream, so thawing it can lead to it spoiling extremely fast. Just be sure to boil it within 15 minutes of full defrosting and it will be fine!

Tips

Low fat or single cream won't freeze well and will become quite watery.

Some people suggest freezing cream in ice cube trays.[5] While this sounds convenient, it will cause the cream to separate more than when it's frozen in one solid mass.

Warnings

Frozen cream is never as good as fresh cream. This measure is intended to salvage cream due to expire or be wasted and isn't something you'd do with cream most of the time.

Cream will readily take on odors it comes into contact with. If improperly stored, it will taste exactly like the odors it has been exposed to. Which can be fairly unpleasant! Store in an airtight container.

To freeze cream, start by pouring it into a ridged-sided container. Leave at least 1/2 inch of space at the top of the container so the cream has room to expand when it freezes. Then, cover the container with 2 strong plastic bags that seal, which will help keep freezer odors out of the cream. Finally, place the container of cream in the freezer. To learn how to freeze sweetened cream or whipped cream dollops, scroll down!

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wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. Together, they cited 6 references.

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 215,117 times.

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92% of readers found this article helpful.

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Co-authors: 5

Updated: July 17, 2019

Views: 215,117

RL

Rod Lewis

Dec 31, 2016

"This article answered my question about freezing cream. I shall buy some cream with a suitable fat content and freeze it in ice cube trays. Once frozen, I shall put it in a plastic bag. To use it, I shall take one or more cubes and defrost in milk so that it is suitable for adding to various dishes such tagliatelle carbonara."..." more

A

Anonymous

Apr 17, 2017

"Poured it into 1/2 cup amounts into Tupperware containers. Was perfect for use later in pot pies and other recipes."

JK

Judy Keenan

Apr 1, 2017

"My family hates to run out of cream. This helps me plan to freeze some cream for backup. Thanks!"

Rated this article:

MM

Melanie M.

Mar 7, 2017

"I now know the cream will not whip after being frozen, a good thing to know."